Multiple object visual pack



July 4, 1967 G. w. BROWN ET Al. 3,329,258

MULTIPLE OBJECT VISUAL PACK Filed July 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Glam0.4?0 W Bao WA/ 37`1 f "-.`35 INVENTORS.

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MULTIPLE OBJECT VISUAL PACK NVENTORS. GAD/OQO W BROWN CoH/v 7: Ewa/30NUnited States Patent O 3,329,258 MULTIPLE OBJECT VISUAL PACK Gaylord W.Brown, Beaverton, Mich., and John T. Erickson, Huntington Beach, Calif.,assignors to Purex Corporation, Ltd., Lakewood, Calif., a corporation ofCalifornia Filed July 20, 1964, Ser. No. 383,720 15 Claims. (Cl.206-45.14)

This invention has to do with improvements in the packaging of multipleobjects in side by side relation and in a manner adapted to servevarious requirements for commercial display, stacking and handlingotherwise of the packages. The invention has been made with theobjective of providing novel features and improvements in the packagingof soap bars, and accordingly will be described with reference to thattypical use.

In certain of its general aspects, the invention contemplates a new formof package for the accommodation of a plurality of soap bars in side byside arrangement, and in a manner permitting attractive display of thepackaged bars and providing a convenient container for household use.Also particularly contemplated is a package having these and otheradvantageous features, which also is especially designed and formed topermit stacking of the packages for transportation or for display in amanner protective of the soap bars and affording such interengagementbetween such successive packages as will prevent vtheir lateral shiftingfrom vertically aligned stacked condition.

Considering certain display features and objects of the invention, thepackage is shaped and designed for thermoforming from plastic sheetstock which, as such, may be relatively thin but when deformed to thepackage shapes and configurations is rendered sufficiently strong towithstand loading under multiple stacking while remaining protective ofthe soap bars. The package comprises a base or tray section and aninterengaging cover section both formed with vertically opposed recessesto receive the soap bars.

lIn more structural particularity the invention contemplatesinter-engaging the lower extent of the cover section with the base ortray section along a parametrical upstanding label area of the containerabout the base section, all in a manner such that the container isshaped about its recess configurations to essentially rectangular form.The labeling area is so related to the sections as not to interfere witheffective display transpa-rency of the cover, while providing for theaccommodation of labeling which may appear at all four sides of thecontainer.

The invention provides for particularly desirable and practical labelingby applying to one side of the container and labeling area what may be asection of the total label serving to hinge the cover to the base tray,but which is removable for separate use of the tray. The remaining labelextent preferably is in the form of a removable tape, bearing productname and any desired advertising material, which initially sealstogether the package sections and may be removed and reapplied betweenthe soap bar removals.

All the various features and objects of the invention, as well as thedetails of an illustrative embodiment, will be understood morethoroughly from the following description of the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the package;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view taken from line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross section on line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

3,329,258 Patented July 4, 1967 FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross sections onlines 5-5 and 6-6 of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 showing the cover partly open;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section on line 7 7 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional showing of multiple packages instacked relation.

The drawings show the package to comprise a cover section generallyindicated at 10, and a base or tray section generally indicated at 11,each being thermoformed of plastic sheet materials 12 and 13 to containvertically opposed recesses 14 `and 15, 15a, see FIG. 4, foraccommodation of the soap bars 16. Preferably the cover section 10 ismade of clear transparent plastic, whereas the tray section 11 may, ifdesired, be made from somewhat heavier opaque plastic sheet stock. Aswill be understood, the package may be made in the configurationsillustrated, to contain any desired number of soap bars, the adaptationto four bars being typical. Also the package, and particularly therecess configurations, may be adapted for the accommodation of variousshaped bars, although preferably the bars have the illustratedessentially ovoid shapes flattened peripherally at 17.

Referring particularly to the cover section 10, its recesses are formedto be Igenerally semi-elliptical longitudinally and are defined by sidewalls 18 havin-g peripheral flats at 19, all in general conformance withthe soap bar shapes. At this point it may be mentioned that as initiallypacked, the soap may be subject to subsequent shrinkage, and thereforethe cover section may be formed so that the recess sides 18 areresiliently spread slightly in receiving the soap bars so that as thelatter ultimately take their shrinkage, the recess walls willresiliently restore to conformance with the dimensions of the shrunkbars. AS shown in FIG. 4, the outer sides of the end recesses arecontinued straight downwardly by the plastic sheet at 20, and similarly,as appears in FIG. 5, the ends of the recesses are continued straightdownwardly in the walls at 21 which are rectangularly continuous Iandco-extensive in depth with the Walls 20.

The recesses 14 are contiguous at the bends 22 which curve downwardly toflats at 22a between the recess extremities, these flats extending tojunctures with thel walls 21. For reasons that will later appear, thetop configurations of the cover recess walls provide shoulders at 241symmetrically positioned with relation to the longitudinal centervertical plane of the package.

In reference to the base section 11, its `internal barreceiving cavitiesat 15 are defined by side walls 23 having transversely straight bottomjunctures at 24 shaped as illustrated in FIG. 6 to have upward concavityterminating at junctures 25 with vertical extents 26 continuing at 27 tojunctures at 28 with the peripheral walls 29 forming the longitudinalsides of the base. Walls 24 and 26 together with their sides 30 formhollow legs having bearing terminals at 25 in the plane P-P of thebottoms of the peripheral sides and ends of the base section forengagement against shoulders 241 in the stacked condition of thepackages.

The end tray cavities 15a are defined by inner vertical walls 32 havingcurved junctures at 33, see FIG. 3, eX- tending transversely of the trayin the plane P-P, the tray walls continuing at 34 beyond the junctures33 to vertically concave surfaces 35 which with their sides 36 formconfigurations similar to the previously described hollow legconfigurations having their Vbearing locations at 25. From 35 the traywalls continue at 37 to junctures at 38 with the tray and walls 39 whichare continuous and coextensive to plane P-P with the side walls 29.

In the closed condition of the cover section its peripheral and end sidewalls 20 and 21 interfit with and engage against shoulders 40 of thebase and end side Walls 39 and 29 according to the relationshipappearing in FIGS. 4 and 5. These interengaging and aligned lowerextents of the cover and tray walls together form `a pa-rametrical areagenerally indicated at A along both the sides and ends of the packagefor application of labeling. Referring to FIG. 1 such labeling rnaycomprise an individual label length 42 corresponding in height to thelabel appearance in FIG. 2 and which runs only along one side of thepackage in overlapping relation at the area A with both sections so asto constitute an adhesive applied flexible hinge permitting opening ofthe cover as in FIG. 6, and which may carry any suitable nomenclature.If desired the hinge label 42 may be removed to permit completeseparation of the cover and tray sections. A second label 43 is appliedcontinuously to and in overlapping relation with the cover and traywalls so as to occupy the area A about the ends and second side of thepackage. Label 43 may carry the product narne and any other desiredinformation. Being adhesively applied, the label 43 may be removed foropening of the cover, and thereafter may be reapplied if desired.

As previously indicated, a particularly important feature of theinvention is the configurations given the package sections to permit aplurality of the packages to be vertically stacked and held in alignmentagainst relative shifting in any direction. FIG. 8 illustrates therelationship vof the packages in stacked condition. The internal traylegs formed by walls 32 and 34 vertically support each package on theone below by the bea-ring engagements of the leg terminals 33 upon thecover ats 23 and also by the interengagement of the cover and tray wallextents 18-34 and 19-35, as Well as by the bearing engagement of therespectively convex and concave walls 19 and 24. Relative longit-udinalshifting of the packages, i.e. transversely of the soap bars, isprevented by the interengagement of walls 18 and 34. In the bearing ofthe upwardly concave tray walls 24 and 35 upon the convex cover surfaces19, the tray hollow leg terminals at 25 are brought opposite the covershoulders 241 so as to be engageable thereagainst, thus to positivelyinterlock the packages against relative lateral shifting, i.e.longitudinally of the bars. As will be apparent, the describedinterengaging relationships of the stacked package walls `are such as toassume all loads protective of the soap bars against crushing or otherdeformation.

We claim:

1. A package for multiple soap bars or the like, cornprising a base traysection and an overlying cover section the lower extent of which istelescopically interengaged with the sides of the base section along aparametrical upstanding labeling area of the container about the basesection and defined by vertical planar surfaces of the packages at theoutside of the telescopic interengagement of the sections, said sectionsbeing formed of plastic sheet material deected to form parallel upperbar-receivin g recesses in the cover section above said area and opposedrecesses in the base section to receive the bars, the sheet material ofboth sections being shaped about said recesses to essentiallyrectangular form.

2. A package according to claim 1, in which said lower extent of thecover section overlaps the outsides of the base section within saidlabeling area.

3. A package according to claim 1, in which the base section hassurfaces below its said recesses adapted to rest upon the top wallsurfaces of the cover recesses of a corresponding package.

4. A package according to claim 1, in which said cover section recessesare generally semi-elliptical in their parallel extents and aretransversely .generally concave.

5. A package according to claim 4, in which the base section recessesare substantially shallower than the cover section recesses and havelongitudinally and transversely curved bar supporting surfaces.

6. A package according to claim 4, in which the cover section recessforming portions of the sheet material are substantially contiguous andsaid material forms essentially flat fillets between the end extents ofthe recesses and the sides of the cover section.

7. A package according to claim 4 adapted to be stacked between and inalignment with upper and lower corresponding packages, said packagescomprising shoulder lmeans on top curved surfaces of the cove-r recesswalls, and shoulder means beneath base secti-on recesses, adapted torest upon said top curved surfaces of the cover section and to engagethe first mentioned shoulder means to limit relative shifting of stackedcontainers longitudinally of the recesses.

8. A package according to claim 7, including also shoulder means beneaththe base section recesses engageable against sides of cover recess wallsto limit shifting 0f stacked containers transversely of the recesses.

9. A package according to claim 4, in which the base section wall hashollow extensions below the recesses adapted to rest upon the coversection wall deforming the top of the cover recesses.

10. A package 4according to claim 9, in which the bottom edges of thebase section and said hollow extensions terminate in substantially thesame plane.

11. A package according to claim 1, in which said base section is opaqueand the cover section is transparent.

12. A package according to claim 1, including removable hinge meansinterconnecting the sections along one edge within said label area foropening swinging movement of the cover.

13. A package according to claim 1, including a removable tape appliedto sides of the package along said labeling area.

14. A package according to claim 1, including a hinge tape overlappingand interconnecting the sections to form a exible hinge along one sideof the package, and a removable tape applied to the remaining sides ofthe package -along and within said labeling area.

15. A package according to claim 14, in which said removable tapeoverlaps and releasably holds the cover to the base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,173,114 2/1916 Lane 2l7--26.52,883,061 4/1959 Moore 206-78 X 2,939,603 6/1960 Young 220-97 X3,034,693 5/1962 Cox 220-97 X 3,084,842 4/1963 Beech 229--2.5 3,131,8645/1964 Whiteford 229--2.5 3,164,478 1/1965 BOStrom 206--46 X LOUIS G.MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

1. A PACKAGE FOR MULTIPLE SOAP BARS OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING A BASE TRAYSECTION AND AN OVERLYING COVER SECTION THE LOWER EXTENT OF WHICH ISTELESCOPICALLY INTERENGAGED WITH THE SIDES OF THE BASE SECTION ALONG APARAMETRICAL UPSTANDING LABELING AREA OF THE CONTAINER ABOUT THE BASESECTION AND DEFINED BY VERTICAL PLANAR SURFACES OF THE PACKAGES AT THEOUTSIDE OF THE TELESCOPIC INTERENGAGEMENT OF THE SECTIONS, SAID SECTIONSBEING FORMED OF PLASTIC SHEET MATERIAL DEFLECTED TO FORM PARALLEL UPPERBAR-RECEIVING RECESSES IN THE COVER SECTION ABOVE SAID AREA AND OPPOSEDRECESSES IN THE BASE SECTION TO RECEIVE THE BARS, THE SHEET MATERIAL OFBOTH SECTIONS BEING SHAPED ABOUT SAID RECESSES TO ESSENTIALLYRECTANGULAR FORM.